The Central and Eastern European Bible Commentary (CEEBC) is a recently launched one-volume commentary on the whole Bible, result of several years of work from over 100 Bible scholars and theologians from Central and Eastern Europe.

Spanning contributions from 20 countries within the region, this is the first work of its kind.

Similar volumes now published or underway in several regions of the world have been supported by Langham Partnership — a global ministry founded by the late preacher and author John Stott. Their mission is to “equip Christian leaders in the Majority World, which is where the majority of Christians reside”.

To date, seven regions have produced these commentaries covering Africa, South Asia, the Slavic region, Middle East, Latin America, Central and Eastern Europe, and Central Asia with many of these regions producing them in multiple languages.

Launched in Prague

During the launch of the CEEBC at the Církev Bratrská in Prague (Czechia), attendees, including many contributors, editors, local Christians, and members of the Langham Partnership, celebrated the commentary and recounted its story. Pavel Černy, a former president of the Církev Bratrská and resident of Prague, hosted the event and led the evening’s activities, which included singing, organ performances, and multiple guest speakers.

International Director of the Langham Partnership, Rev. Tayo Arikawe shared: “It is with joy that we have come to celebrate. The idea that there has been a lot of cross-cultural working together in this process speaks volumes”.

Local church leaders commemorated the work and attendees received a keynote address from Rev. Dr. Christopher J. H. Wright entitled: “The Whole Bible for our Whole Context”. During his speech, he reflected on the importance of the Bible to give us wisdom and lead people to salvation: “Today, more than ever, we need the voices of all God’s people, sharing their insights, their understanding of the word of God in all its ancient power and contemporary relevance”.

Building bridges

As well as celebrating, it was a time of reflection and remembrance. One of the chief architects and the general editor of the CEEBC, Corneliu Constantineanu, died from COVID-19 in 2021. Dr. Constantineanu, who was loved by many, was described as a bridge builder and advocate for the necessity that Christian academia must be in service of the church, not for the sake of academia. At the time of his death, Constaneanu had completed two-thirds of his work on the commentary.

His place in this project was taken on by one of the CEEBC’s theological editors, Peter Penner, who shared his thoughts on this during the launch: “This was an attempt, which has been successful, to bring this diverse group, these diverse countries with their very different languages, together. Here Corneliu has been very instrumental in bringing together, bridging, and connecting people. In diversity, to bring unity”.

The commentary is now available in English, published by Langham Partnership’s official publishing house. Discussions are already underway with partners in the region for possible translations into several languages in the coming years.